Club News

The latest news from the Club

More foals!

22 April 2024

The past month has seen four more foals arrive, led by Marseille's filly foal by Blackbeard on 20 March. An Excelebration half-sister to the dual Group 1-winning sprinter Marsha and 18-time winner Judicial, Marseille is really bred in the purple as her wider family includes the likes of the five-time Group 1 winner Soviet Song and the top-class middle-distance filly Ribbons. Hopes are therefore understandably high for this foal, who is by the new stallion Blackbeard, who won six of his eight starts at two years, including the Prix Morny and the Middle Park Stakes, and is a son of No Nay Never, who has quickly established himself as a leading stallion in recent years.

Just one day after Marseille foaled, Soviet Song's granddaughter Roubles produced her latest foal. Roubles may not have had the brilliance of her illustrious grand-dam on the racecourse, but she has proved a very successful mare, with two winners from her first two foals, the above-average First Of May (who has now joined the Club's breeding programme) and the speedy dual winner Zachary. Roubles' latest foal is a sturdy colt by the 2,000 Guineas winner Kameko and on pedigree, should race at two but progress over distances of around a mile as a three-year-old.

Just before the end of March, Loretta, another sibling of the brilliant Marsha and Judicial, foaled a handsome colt by Zoustar, who is quickly making a name for himself in the Northern Hemisphere breeding world. A champion first season sire in Australia, he has produced 33 Group winners to date, with Lezoo, winner of the Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes, possibly his best known representative in Britain.

The latest arrival is Canasta's colt foal (pictured above) by Cracksman, who arrived late on Friday night, 19 April. Cracksman, a brilliant son of Frankel and a dual winner of the Champion Stakes, is making an excellent start to his career at stud, with the undoubted highlight so far being Ace Impact, winner of the French Derby and Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in 2023. A winner at three years, Canasta also has an exciting pedigree, hailing from the family of the Group 1 Fillies' Mile winner Quadrilateral.